


Hamartia

by TheNerdsPapers



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, F/M, Graphic Violence, Language, Marvel - Freeform, Quicksilver x Reader - Freeform, Xmen, anger issues, marvel imagine, marvel x reader - Freeform, moody peter, peter maximoff imagine, peter maximoff x reader - Freeform, quicksilver - Freeform, quicksilver imagine, xmen imagine, xmen x reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-12 08:15:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17463866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNerdsPapers/pseuds/TheNerdsPapers
Summary: You and Peter are sent on a diplomatic mission to Athens, Greece. When things go wrong, Peter's emotions get the better of him. How far will he go?





	Hamartia

**Author's Note:**

> This story is inspired by two prompts sent in on Tumblr:  
> “You can cut me, bruise me and skin me alive, but you will not take her away from me”  
> “Ah, well if you want them back alive, I suggest you lay down your own life”

No one wants a meeting, not even the people who call them up. Meetings are rarely for good news. They either mean bad news or boring updates no one actually cares about. It doesn’t matter where you are, it’s always the same.

Charles’ voice droned on, a distant hum in my ear, as my gaze drifted around the room. A fly bumped and buzzed along the window. I didn’t understand why it wouldn’t just fly out. It had been cracked open for awhile now in an attempt to get some fresh air in the room. 

We were deep in summer. The air was hot and heavy, humidity dampening the papers on the table before us. I pushed back the fallen strands around my face. My mouth felt dry. I could really go for a cold glass of lemonade. By the looks of everyone else, I wasn’t alone. Kurt’s tail fanned his face while a few others fanned themselves with papers. 

“Now I know we’re all uncomfortable right now,” Charles’ voice interrupted, “but this is important.”

“You say that about everything,” Ororo quipped.

Jean nodded in agreement. “This is just housekeeping stuff. Can’t we just do this later?”

“I second that!” Scott chimed in.

Various murmurs of agreement rippled through the air. Charles shook his head, pushing the scattered documents before him together. “I suppose none of you are really paying attention anyway. And Peter decided he wasn’t going to show up again, so I suppose we can postpone this to a later date.” Sighs of relief followed his words as we all stood and shuffled toward the door. “Y/n, I’m sorry to stop you, but I’d like to have a word before you leave.”

“Of course,” I replied before shutting the door. “Does this have to do with me not paying attention?”

The professor waved an unconcerned hand. “Not at all, you weren’t alone, and I honestly don’t blame you. To be fair, I wanted to be finished too. No, I wished to speak to you about Peter.”

“Peter?” I racked my brain for what he could possibly wish to discuss about him. Was this about his pranks? We hadn’t had time for anything like that recently. Was he stealing food from the kitchen again? Possibly, but I wouldn’t have anything to do with that.

“It’s none of those things. Although I’m glad the mystery of those missing snacks has been solved.” He quirked an eyebrow, giving a slight smile. “No, this is the third meeting in a row that he’s missed. Do you have any idea why that might be?”

I blinked confusedly. “Maybe he just got tired of sitting through them. You know he has trouble sitting for longer than a minute.”

“But he never had a problem before. In fact, he used to be the most dedicated member of the team.”

“I’m sorry, Professor. I truly don’t know what could be the problem.”

“Fair enough,” he sighed. “In the meantime, I wish to get him more involved again. I’m sending the both of you on a mission. It’s nothing major, just a little diplomacy.” He handed me a file which I began filtering through.

“You’re sending us to Athens?”

“Yes, there’s a pro-mutant organization based there that’s been building a following recently. You and Peter are to establish some relations with the organization and help them to gain some footing with the government.”

I tucked the file under my arm as I stood. “We’ll do our best.”

“I know you will.”

I left the room before heading off in search of the speedster in question. He wasn’t in his room and he wasn’t hanging around the kitchen, nor was he bothering students in the library or lounge. There was only one other place he could be.

The heat was less prevalent outside. Students lounged around on the grounds, soaking in the sun. Light scents of the blossoming flowers in the garden floated on the breeze. 

I pressed on across the fields, far outside the normal limits of the average student. When he wanted to be alone, well, Peter would be alone. Not another person would be in sight. I found him reclined in the branches of a tree, his signature jacket draped carefully over a limb beside him. 

“How’s the weather up there?” I called, shielding my eyes from the sun as I looked up.

“Sunny and blue skies as far as the eyes can see, why don’t you come see for yourself?” 

I clambered up the trunk, a few leaves fluttering to the ground as I settled. “So why weren’t you at the meeting earlier?”

Peter shrugged as he picked at a spot of dirt on his jeans. “I don’t know, didn’t feel like it.”

“None of us did, but we still showed up.”

“I’ll go to the next one.”

“You said that the last few times.” A silence fell between us, filled only by bird song and the rustling of the leaves around us. It was like this. My words might seem passive-aggressive, yet biting, matter-of-fact. Peter didn’t mind. It was just how we worked. Our interactions were blatant, nothing held back. “Charles is sending us on a mission.”

“Where to this time?”

“Athens.”

“Exotic,” Peter sighed. 

“Hey,” I nudged his knee with my foot. “What’s up with you? You’re being all distant and stuff lately. Not showing up to meetings or training or whatever. Normally you’d be psyched to be going somewhere.”

“Do you ever wonder if we’re actually making any impact? Is any of this actually worth our time?” He asked. 

“What are you talking about? Of course it is,” I looked at him quizzically. He could get into his moods, but not like this.

“It’s just that it’s 1990. We’ve been at this for what, six years now? What have we done? Organized a few protests? Funded a few support groups?” He folded his arms, shaking his silver hair from his eyes. “We’re not making any progress. There are still kids being forced to live on the streets. People still lose their jobs because they’re a mutant.” 

“Yeah, they do, which is why we have to keep fighting. If we don’t, then there’s absolutely no chance of anything changing. And what have we done?” I scoffed, waving my hands in the air. “How about stop crazy psychopathic mutants from taking over the world? How about showing people that not all mutants are out to take over the human race?”

“But they’re still scared of us,” Peter stated flatly.

“Yeah, because there’s still some crazy freaks out there to be afraid of. That’s why they need us to protect them. Now come on, if you want to make an impact how about you help me help some pro-mutants change their country.”

~

We were put up in an apartment on the outskirts of the city. The area was rough, but we’d dealt with worse. I picked a piece of lint off my jacket while I waited for Peter to finish getting ready. 

“Alright,” he said as he walked out of the tiny bathroom, dropping the ends of his tie, “I’ve tried a million times. I need help.” 

I shook my head, chuckling at his frustration. “How old are you?”

“It’s not that easy, you know,” he grumbled.

“Really?” I quirked an eyebrow before tightening the knot.

He rolled his eyes. “Could have made it a little looser….” He tugged slightly at his collar.

“Peter, if I made it any looser, it wouldn’t look professional. Now if I have to wait any longer for you, we’re going to be late.”

“Late?” He scoffed. “Do you know who you’re talking to?”

“We are wearing dress clothes. We are not-” A moment later my head was spinning as I stood outside the mansion. “Running.”

“Oh look at that! People are still arriving!” The speedster grinned cheekily as he took my arm and directed us to join the crowd. I pulled at the hem of my dress. Peter wasn’t the only one uncomfortable in situations like this. Galas, balls, conventions, we’d seen it all and they were all the same. Politicians, celebrities, and businessmen all wining and dining their way to the top. Our alibi at least was well rehearsed by now, it never changed. Mr. and Mrs. Eisenhardt (Name courtesy of Peter’s mother), ambassadors for Professor Charles Xavier, the world’s leading expert on genetics. We were to support those working to further our cause and provide protection in the event that too much drink turned things south. 

“Invitation?” A guard at the door asked gruffly.

Peter dug into his pocket and provided the slightly crumpled paper. “Right here!” He replied warmly. 

The man took it, carefully inspecting it before eyeing us for a moment. I thought he might stop us, but then he gestured for us to continue. Almost in unison, we let out a sigh of relief. The room was full of people, scattered around in deep conversation. A few servers carrying trays wandered around. I nudged Peter as he eyed a tray of appetizers. “Don’t forget what we’re here for.”

“Hey, we’ve got to blend in, right? No one will be suspicious of me taking advantage of the… refreshments. That’s what they call them, right?” He plucked a couple from a passing tray, shoving a piece in his mouth. “Want one?”

“No, I don’t. Just watch yourself. We don’t want a repeat of last time.” I gave him a pointed look before stalking off. My eyes caught on a familiar woman, her picture had been included in the briefing. “Excuse me? Are you the president of the Athenian Mutant’s League?”

She turned to me, slightly surprised. “Yes, that’s me. I’m sorry, do I know you?”

I held out my hand for her to shake. “Y/n Eisenhardt. My husband and I were sent here by Charles Xavier to support you.”

“Oh, yes!” She exclaimed, accepting my hand. “Irene Andreadis. was worried that you wouldn’t make it.”

“We always fulfill our commitments, ma’am. Especially for an event as momentous as this,” I affirmed. Her eyes took on a look of hesitation and nervousness but it quickly disappeared. That was understandable. This was a touchy subject and if the speeches didn’t go just right, it could stop progress for many more years. 

“I’d must go get ready to deliver my speech,” she said, quickly turning and disappearing into the crowd. 

I mingled my way through the attendees. Charming the overly friendly, smoothly retorting the coarse, impressing the pretentious. It was all formulaic by now. A touch here, a soft word there, it was manipulation, business. I caught Peter’s eye from across the room, noticing the urgent look he gave me. I swiftly reached his side and placed a hand on his arm.

“Ah, Mr. Sullivan, meet my lovely wife,” he introduced as he wrapped an arm around my waist. The gentle squeeze he gave me alerted me to be on my guard.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I smiled cordially.

“Well now, Mr. Eisenhardt, you sure struck the jackpot on this one, eh?” The man chuckled heartily, taking a drink from his glass as he eyed me up and down. 

“You have no idea.” Peter’s form was stiff, his smile painted on.

“In a few moments, we will begin the speeches for the night,” a man announced from the stage erected on one end of the large hall.

“It’s a shame we had to meet under such conditions,” Mr. Sullivan continued gruffly. “Mutants. This is all a waste of time if you ask me. The abominations will never truly be able to function in normal society. They’re a menace. You saw what they did to the president all those years ago.”

“I thought it was a mutant who spared his life?” I inquired, ignoring Peter’s warning glance.

“Ha! Spared his life? The only reason the freak didn’t finish the job was because they knew they’d be shot down themself.” He took another drink before opening his mouth to continue, but was stopped as everyone’s attention was turned to the stage.

“This is it,” Peter whispered in my ear. I swallowed anxiously.

“Thank you everyone for joining us for this historic occasion,” Irene said. “We are eternally grateful for the support of many of you here tonight and we welcome those in opposition as well. Hopefully, we will be able to impart on you the necessity of our cause.” 

A swift motion in the corner of my eye dragged my attention away from the stage. A man slunk along the edge of the crowd, a hand slipping into his jacket. I instinctively reached a hand out to Peter, my lips parting to point out the man. Before I could say a word, however, a crash followed by shouting sounded behind me. A man rushed the stage, followed by multiple guards. In the ensuing chaos, multiple shots rang out causing the situation to go from bad to worse. Peter and I leapt into action. He disappeared in a silver blur as I felt my hands heat with energy. The static tingled around my fingers. I grabbed the nearest armed man, causing him to collapse to the ground. I pushed my way through the masses rushing for exits. Peter would have gotten the president to safety by now. Suddenly an arm wrapped around my throat, cutting off oxygen to my lungs. I clawed at the arm, throwing myself backward to try to force the man to relinquish his grip. Stars dotted my vision as I felt my body weaken. A moment later, I was overcome by darkness.

~

Peter watched as y/n collapsed in the man’s arms, throwing one last punch that sent his attacker flying. He stepped forward to rush over, but a shock to his neck seized his muscles. He shouted in pain, losing sight of the woman as she was carried off into the crowd. 

“You Americans always think you need to get involved in foreign affairs,” an accented voice said. A blow to Peter’s gut forced the air from his lungs. “Someone needs to teach you people to mind your own business.” He pushed himself to his feet, swinging blindly at the man. He stumbled, head spinning. “Look at you. You’re supposed to be some savior for the freaks? Pathetic.” A final blow to his temple turned his body to lead as he dropped to the ground hard.

~

I blinked my eyes open, squinting against the lights that intensified the throbbing pain in my head. Everything was in double as I struggled against the restraints tying me to a chair. Normally I’d be able to singe the ties enough that I could break free, but these were rubber. Did they know who we were? I looked around the room to find Peter’s hunched form tied to a chair beside mine. 

“Peter,” I hissed. He didn’t stir. There was no way for me to kick him with my legs restrained so I attempted to shimmy my chair. A piercing shriek cut the air as it scraped against the marble floor. Still he didn’t move, not even a flinch. His hair was matted slightly on one side, deep red with dried blood. 

Before I could think to do anything else, the lock turned in the door and a man stepped inside. “So you’re awake. What do you say? Shall we wake up the other one?” He walked toward Peter as he reached into his pocket. 

I frantically twisted my wrists, trying to get free. “Don’t you fucking touch him,” I snarled. 

The man ignored me, pulling out an object I could see. He pressed it against Peter’s chest, causing his eyes to shoot open as he gasped for air. 

“What the hell do you want with us?” He panted. A light sheen of sweat on his skin was mixing with dirt and dried blood. 

The man shook his head and pocketed the object. “Nothing at all. I don’t want you. I want what you stand for. Charles needs to learn he can’t simply send people everywhere to get what he wants.”

“He wants to help people!” I objected.

“No,” the man interrupted, “he wants to help mutants. And we don’t want mutants here as much as your optimistic little brain might convince yourself.” He reached out a hand towards my face, causing me to shrink back as much as I could. His calloused fingertips traced my jaw as bile rose in the back of my throat.

“Get your hands off her!” Peter shouted, fighting against his restraints as well. “We’re not doing anything you want, you sick freak!”

The man tsked, withdrawing his hand. “Ironic that you call me the freak when I’m the only normal one here. Well, if that’s how you want it.” A guard stepped into the room. The same who checked us at the door, I noticed. “Then I guess we’ll need to find other ways to make you comply.” 

The guard strode forward, stepping behind me as he released me from the chair. His grip on my arm was painful. I tried to push him away, but I was still dizzy from earlier. I felt him wrap my wrists in rubber again, effectively preventing me from electrocuting him. 

“NO! Y/N!” Peter screamed. The guard thrust me toward the door, causing me to stumble and crash into the wall outside it. I heard the sound of metal scraping on marble. Turning around, I saw the man’s form loom over Peter, striking him across the face. He tipped sideways and crashed to the floor. His eyes were glazed over, yet desperate, pleading. I opened my mouth to reassure him, but the door slammed shut.

~

The man pulled up a chair in front of Peter, who had been righted. “So what’s this going to take, hm? How far are you willing to go for your cause?” He said nothing, giving his torturer nothing but a glare. “I hate to be a cliché, but we have ways of making you talk. We can start with your girlfriend-”

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“But I’m sure you wish she was. What’s the matter? Is she not pleased by you? A specimen like that-”

“Don’t talk about her like that!”

“I’m just saying, I might just take my chances. I might pay a little visit-”

“I said don’t talk about her! Don’t you lay a fucking finger on her or I swear-”

The man stood, unfazed by his outburst. “What? What can you do tied up in here? She’s all alone, afraid, defenseless….”

“You can cut me, bruise me, skin me alive for all I care, but you will not take her away from me. I’m going to get out of this chair, I am going to find her, then I am going to kill you.” Peter’s voice had gone cold, his gaze calm and calculating, yet filled with rage.

“Well if you want her back ‘alive’, I suggest you lay down your own life, because neither of you are leaving here tonight,” the man said. “It would make my job much easier.” He turned and left the room. 

There was no saying how long he would be gone, so Peter set to work immediately. The back of his had been nicked, leaving a very small, yet sharp, fold. He had only to slice through the rubber cord tying his wrists together. Normally, this might an hour given that he’d have to feel for the spot, hook the cord to it, and manage to slice at the same spot each time. Luckily, even with time against him, he had speed on his side. A minute later, the cord broke with a snap. 

Footsteps sounded outside the door, causing him to rush to untie his feet and press himself against the wall behind the door. The doorknob turned. The door began to open. He harshly shoved back against it, stunning the person behind it. He didn’t bother to look back as he sprinted past. From door to door he ran, frantically. Each was a disappointment and panic began to rise in him. It was all a distraction. He shouldn’t have waited. He should have done more. He should have been more. She was gone. They took her away. He promised this wouldn’t happen. How could he have let this happen?! 

The building was empty, so he did the next thing he could think of. He would look outside. He’d search the entire city if he had to. Peter collided with the door, expecting it to open. No matter how hard he pushed on it, it wouldn’t budge. He let out a shout of frustration and launched himself for the nearest window. Luckily there wasn’t any real drop. Glass cut into his hands as he landed roughly before leaping to his feet quickly, ignoring the tear in his dress shirt. The scene he was met with chilled his blood. 

Y/n was crumpled on the ground, half conscious as she was held up by her hair. The man from earlier stood beside her on the front step. The flashing lights of emergency vehicles were almost blinding. 

“This is what comes of those who threaten the safety of our people!” He shouted to the crowd below. Journalists stood transfixed, cameras recording every second, scribbling furiously in notebooks. The police were just as hypnotized with their weapons half drawn. 

Peter couldn’t wait. Tears of anger seeped into his eyes. Everything was motionless. His hands shook and his body seemed to vibrate as his rage boiled up, trying to escape. He stepped forward, taking a pistol from one of the two guards beside the man. He smashed it against the backs of their heads. They didn’t move, but they would, or never again if he was lucky. 

He cocked the gun, pressing it to the back of the man’s head.

“Peter, stop.” Charles’ voice said, cold and icy. He and the rest of the X-Men stepped around the frozen crowd, looking up at him in shock and horror.

Peter’s hands continued to shake. He blinked back the hot tears that rolled down his cheeks. “I have to,” he sobbed. “He hurt her.”

“Put the gun down now, or I will force you.”

“Do you not see?! I have to do this! He’s wants us all dead! How many more deaths will he cause if I let him live?”

“You don’t mean that!” Jean gasped. “You sound like Erik!”

He turned quickly, eyes sparking, pointing the gun toward them. “I am not my father! Don’t you ever say that!” His muscles tensed and the gun dropped from his hand. 

“I’m sorry,” Charles shook his head. “I can’t let you go down this path. I can’t let you go down this path.” He looked to Kurt who walked to him, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Peter’s shoulder. 

“No, wait-”

In a cloud of blue smoke, they disappeared. Scott took that as his cue to pick up y/n and follow the rest back to the jet.

“What are we going to do?” Hank asked as Charles seated himself beside the mutant. 

“I don’t know, I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”

~

I found myself outside Peter’s door. The others told me to let him be. Let him talk when he was ready, but I knew better. If I didn’t confront him, he’d never speak of it. Loud music blared from inside the room. He probably wouldn’t hear if I knocked, so I would just have to walk in. I turned the knob, slowly opening the door, but it slammed shut almost immediately. 

“Go away, y/n!” Peter’s muffled voice shouted.

“I’m not going anywhere!” I shouted back. He didn’t reply, nor did he reopen the door, so I sat down and leaned my back against it. “I’m just going to sit here until you come out. We both know you’ll get tired of being stuck in there sooner rather than later.”

I felt the door open crack open and stood to face Peter. His eyes were ringed red and slightly puffy. “You’re a child,” he glared.

“Yeah, because you aren’t being just as childish.” I pushed past him, turning down the music and plopping down on his bed. “We’re talking whether you like it or not.”

He folded his arms. “What if I don’t want to talk?”

“You can’t keep running away! You need to talk to me at some point! What the hell happened back there?! Were you seriously going to kill that guy?!”

I expected him to get angry, yell at me, tell me I was mistaken. Instead it was as if all the energy had been drained from his body. He leaned back against the wall, sliding down until he sat on the ground, pulling his knees to his chest. “Yeah, I was.”

“What? Why?!”

“I don’t want to do this anymore-” his voice broke off. He pressed his palms to his eyes as his body wracked with sobs. My eyes widened in shock before I slipped off the bed, sitting down beside him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “I don’t want to be in the X-Men. We do stuff like this all the time and it never gets anywhere. You almost died, y/n!”

“But I didn’t-”

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, I couldn’t save you!” He gasped, continuing to cry. I didn’t know how to respond. Peter was never this vulnerable. When he was upset, he’d just hide in a closet somewhere before appearing hours later, completely normal again. “I never wanted to be like him.” He looked up at me, sniffling as strands of hair stuck to the sides of his face. I pushed them away. “I almost killed someone for us, for mutants. I never wanted to be like my dad.”

“You aren’t, Peter,” I hugged him closer. “You’ll never be like him if you don’t want to be. You just got carried away. You’re allowed to be angry. It doesn’t make you a murderer.”

“But that’s what he does. He kills people when he gets angry. He kills people when someone he loves gets hurt.”

I inhaled sharply. “What do you mean?”

“I love you, y/n,” he said quietly as he ran a thumb along my jawline. “I couldn’t bear seeing you that helpless, that vulnerable. I hated seeing his hands on you and I didn’t know what to do. I don’t deal with these kinds of feelings very well.” His eyes were soft, slightly fearful. 

“I love you too, Peter,” I replied. A soft whimper escaped his lips as I pressed mine to his. “I guess we’re just going to have to work through this together.”


End file.
